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  <title>Artificial Life Applet</title>
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<h1>Artificial Life Applet Blurb.<br>
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<h3>Introduction</h3>
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&nbsp;- Using computers to simulate some aspect of life.<br>
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&nbsp;- My interest is the behaviour of simple cells.&nbsp; <br>
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&nbsp;- My cells live inside computer a computer program.<br>
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&nbsp;- The behaviour of a real cell is governed by a complex
interaction<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; of proteins. The formation of proteins is governed by
rules encoded in<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; it DNA.<br>
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&nbsp;- My cells just have some features that are like real cells.<br>
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&nbsp;- Each of my cell has a behaviour that is governed by rules that <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; are combined to make a simple machine that drives the cell.<br>
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&nbsp;- I am trying to simulate evolution.<br>
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What is life ?<br>
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&nbsp;- One definition of life is an ability to reproduce. <br>
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&nbsp;- One of the simplest forms of reproduction is a cell cloning
itself.<br>
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&nbsp;- The cells in my program can clone themselves.<br>
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Evolution ?<br>
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&nbsp;- One theory for the origin of life is that a random
configuration of<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; molecules came together that could work together to make a
copy of<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; itself. Eventually the rules where encoded in DNA.<br>
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&nbsp;- In my simulation rules are encoded as a list of instructions.<br>
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Why ?<br>
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&nbsp;- Simulations help us understand how things work.<br>
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&nbsp;- We can experiment with the parameters of a simulation to see
what<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; would happen if . . .<br>
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&nbsp;- It's fun.<br>
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An Example Simulation.<br>
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&nbsp;- Evolution of simple creatures that move around and eat.<br>
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&nbsp;- We assume that food grows at a given rate.<br>
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&nbsp;- Creatures use energy and need to eat to survive.<br>
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&nbsp;- They need to move around (food supply runs out if they stay
still)<br>
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&nbsp;- Creatures can clone themselves.<br>
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&nbsp;- We randomly generate creatures and wait to see if we can<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; generate a cell with a behaviour that enables it (or one of<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; it's clones) to survive.<br>
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<h2>Example simulation</h2>
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<h2><img src="./images/Fig1.jpeg" title="" alt="Fig1"
 style="width: 693px; height: 779px;" align="right"></h2>
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Shows creatures living on a
rectangular patch of food.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The light gray areas have most
food.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The dark traces show where a
creature has eaten the food.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Each type of creature is a
different colour.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You can see that some creatures
have cloned themselves.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; None of these creatures will
survive they either: <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - stay still and run
out of food.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - move out food area
and starve.<br>
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<img src="./images/Fig2.jpeg" title="Fig2" alt="Fig2"
 style="width: 660px; height: 535px;" align="right"><br>
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&nbsp; After generating about 50 thousand random creatures.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We have found one that manages to
survive.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Live applet would show the purple
creatures traveling left and <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; right on the right edge of the food. <br>
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Later on another sort of creature (blue) emerges. This one travels <img
 src="./images/Fig3.jpeg" title="" alt="Fig3"
 style="width: 652px; height: 703px;" align="right"><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; up and down.&nbsp; <br>
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&nbsp;The blue creature is more successful and can spread (by<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; cloning) over most of the feeding
area. Now all the food supply<img src="./images/Fig4.jpeg" title=""
 alt="Fig4" style="width: 652px; height: 703px;" align="right"><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; is being utilized it is difficult
for any new creatures to establish<br>
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The program allows us to kill off all the creatures (like a natural<img
 src="./images/Fig5.jpeg" title="" alt="Fig5"
 style="width: 652px; height: 703px;" align="right"><br>
disaster). We do this and . . . <br>
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&nbsp;&nbsp; There are 3 types of creature. A new type of purple
creature is<br>
competing with a green one on the top edge. Whilst the blue type has
populated<br>
the right edge.<br>
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&nbsp;&nbsp; It looks like the yellow ones are going to wipe out the
others ?<img src="./images/Fig6.jpeg" title="" alt="Fig6"
 style="width: 652px; height: 703px;" align="right"><br>
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<h2>Some Conclusions.</h2>
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&nbsp; The simulation has shown us.<br>
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - The abilty to clone (or reproduce) is
essential for the survival of your genes<br>
&nbsp;<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - Creatures evolve to fill available niches.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - If a natural disaster happens a different
type of creature<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; may evolve to fit the same niche. <br>
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